It once was but is no more,
You said of our beloved city
That day we spoke from afar.
I said: 'Tis a pity! 'Tis a pity!
And true; so very true.
I shall never return.
So alien and blue,
And now I learn
It resonates with neither
Me nor you.
Why did time efface and wither
London of the few
Who made it swing-a-long
To an upbeat song
As cameras clicked
And hearts ticked
So merrily; so merrily?
Fare thee well, Chelsea!
Adieu, Holloway, Highgate
Hill and Hampstead Heath!
Goodbye London Town!
Then we put the 'phone down,
And never again
Spoke about its end.
You said of our beloved city
That day we spoke from afar.
I said: 'Tis a pity! 'Tis a pity!
And true; so very true.
I shall never return.
So alien and blue,
And now I learn
It resonates with neither
Me nor you.
Why did time efface and wither
London of the few
Who made it swing-a-long
To an upbeat song
As cameras clicked
And hearts ticked
So merrily; so merrily?
Fare thee well, Chelsea!
Adieu, Holloway, Highgate
Hill and Hampstead Heath!
Goodbye London Town!
Then we put the 'phone down,
And never again
Spoke about its end.
Arrived back from France last night and almost missed my flight as I was stopped by customs who thought that I was some kind of art smuggler, as I was bringing a pair of Peggy Wickham watercolours back to Blighty.
ReplyDeleteSo it was a nice surprise to read your poem "It's Not The Same Anymore" which I enjoyed and took me back with you to the fine past we shared.
- Tony Hill